Croatan's Ryan to play football at E&H

By Rick Scoppe-Sports Editor/The Daily News

Published: Friday, June 28, 2013 at 09:45 AM.

“My dad always told me growing up, ‘Oh, you’ll play college football,’ but it really is a dream come true. That’s what I really was hoping to do,” Ryan added. “When our season ended back in November it was really a sad moment for all of us because we realized, hey, we’re all growing up and this could be our last game.

“But to have another chance of playing in college, it really is a dream come true.”

Little did Billy Ryan know that a basketball camp amid the highlands of Virginia would be his first glimpse of Emory & HenryCollege, where four years later the Croatan High senior would be headed to play football.

But that’s how it turned out for the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Ryan, who along with playing football and basketball for the Cougars also finished seventh in the discus in the NCHSAA 2-A state track championships this past season.

“I just fell in love with the campus,” Ryan said. “It’s really a pretty site, up in the hills, nice old buildings from the time of Abraham Lincoln. It is one of the oldest campuses in the state. It was just kind of neat. Every morning there’d be a train going through the campus. It’s just a nice area.”

The 18-year-old Ryan considered several other schools, including N.C. Wesleyan, Methodist, Guilford and Mars Hill. But he liked the smaller campus and how everyone at the private NCAA Division III school always “had a smile on their face and were like your friend.”

“You weren’t a stranger,” he said.

Still, there was at least one surprise for Ryan, who played tackle on both sides of the ball for the Cougars. No matter. His new coaches wanted him to move to tight end. That, to say the least, was a bit of a shock.

“I’m trying to bulk up now and get my speed up. Being a tackle or lineman, your job was really just to keep the guy off the quarterback or find the ball and get it on defense,” he said. “Being a tight end now you’re actually being a part of the play.

“It’s definitely different. I’ve been playing lineman since I was in fifth grade. Now it’s how to be a tight end. You have three months to learn a whole new position, all the routes, all the technical terms.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’”

While he didn’t balk at the change, Ryan hopes if he bulks up he could eventually be on the other side of the ball as a defensive end.

“But right now it’s tight end,” he said.

While Division III schools can’t give athletic aid, Ryan is getting some financial aid as well as an art scholarship and plans on majoring in graphic design with a minor possibly in business or engineering.

Ultimately, he would love to design cars — his favorite is the 1970 Stingray Corvette.

“I like the shape of the body,” he said, adding that it was “amazing” that he was getting a chance to play college football while also being able to pursue his love of art and graphic design.

“My dad always told me growing up, ‘Oh, you’ll play college football,’ but it really is a dream come true. That’s what I really was hoping to do,” Ryan added. “When our season ended back in November it was really a sad moment for all of us because we realized, hey, we’re all growing up and this could be our last game.

“But to have another chance of playing in college, it really is a dream come true.”